This afternoon, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is set to deliver a rebuttal to President Biden’s speech on democracy and the higher ideals of our country. But Kevin McCarthy has shown time and time again he only cares about Kevin McCarthy, bowing to the most extreme factions of his party in an attempt to further his own political career.
Kevin McCarthy has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to duplicity in order to stay in the good graces of Donald Trump and his extreme MAGA base. Before, during, and after the 2020 election, McCarthy publicly toed the line for Trump, while privately working to advance his own position. When McCarthy half-heartedly attempted to wrestle power away from the MAGA extremists in his caucus, he quickly capitulated when it became clear he had lost control of his own members. These actions are a shocking dereliction of duty from a Congressional leader.
When Kevin McCarthy took his oath of office, he promised to uphold the Constitution and safeguard the peaceful transfer of power. He has broken his sworn oath to the American people time, and time again. Even after a violent insurrection that interrupted the certification of the 2020 election, McCarthy led nearly 150 members of his party to vote against certifying President Biden’s electoral victory and pushed our democracy to the brink. The actions described below demonstrate McCarthy’s dangerous habits of lying to the American people and engaging in endless doublespeak to serve his own political ambitions. Make no mistake, McCarthy will stop at nothing to overturn the will of American voters in order to serve his own self interest.
Back And Forth On Outcome Of The 2020 Election
2020: McCarthy Refuses To Acknowledge Legitimacy Of 2020 Election. Just two days after the 2020 election, before votes were even done being counted, McCarthy took to Fox News to claim, “President Trump won this election. Republicans will not be silenced.” After the 2020 election was called by all major outlets and later confirmed at the meeting of the electoral college, McCarthy refused to acknowledge President Biden’s overwhelming victory. As Republican after Republican — including leaders of his own party — lined up to congratulate the new president-elect, McCarthy refused to even speak on the matter in December of 2020.
2021: McCarthy Declares Biden Election Winner & Claims Republicans Have Moved On From Election Denial. On January 13, one week after the violent insurrection at the Capitol, McCarthy said in a floor speech, “Let’s be clear, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the President of the United States in one week because he won the election.” In a May 2021 press conference McCarthy made an attempt to move past the consternation in his caucus over the election outcome, claiming, “I don’t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.” If only that were so. In reality, McCarthy held this event just one day after he and his fellow Republicans ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from party leadership for having the courage to counter the conspiracy theories threatening our democracy.
2022: McCarthy Refuses To Acknowledge Legitimacy Of 2020 Election. As of 2022, the minority leader has flip-flopped once again. During a June press conference McCarthy was asked five times whether the outcome of the 2020 election was legitimate and refused answer each time in an exasperating display of avoidance.
Rewriting History Attempts To Overturn The 2020 Election
January 3-6, 2021: McCarthy Gives Blessing To Challenge Certification of 2020 Election. Just days before a violent group of MAGA extremists attacked the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, McCarthy shared his support for objecting to several state’s electoral votes. When asked about McCarthy’s involvement in the process to object on January 6, conspiracy theorist Rep. Jim Jordan said, “Kevin’s been great. Kevin’s been fine. Kevin’s been great on this whole process.” Even after the insurrection, when members returned to the House to finalize the certification process, McCarty led nearly 150 of his fellow Republicans in voting to overturn the results of the presidential election.
January 21, 2021: McCarthy Falsely Claims He Never Voted To Overturn The Election. Aftering facing significant backlash for allowing members of his caucus to set a dangerous precedent by challenging election results, McCarthy attempted to rewrite history, claiming he never voted to overturn Biden’s victory. When asked about his vote, McCarthy claimed, “What I voted on wasn’t to overturn an election, because it wouldn’t. It would not overturn it.” However, McCarthy did vote to do just that, citing blatantly false claims of voter fraud without evidence.
Blatant Dishonesy To Maintain Trump’s Support
Behind Closed Doors: A Furious McCarthy Blames Trump For Insurrection, Calls On Him To Resign. Following the violent events of January 6, McCarthy vocally expressed his anger with the former president to members of Congress. When the minority leader frantically called Trump begging for help while the insurrection was unfolding, McCarthy repeated Trump’s rebuff to fellow members, “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.” McCarthy was so outraged by the response, on a call following the attack, he told fellow Republican leaders, “I’ve had it with this guy…Let me be very clear to all of you, and I have been very clear to the president: He bears responsibility for his words and actions. No if, ands or buts.” McCarthy went on to share the advice he provided to Trump, stating, “It would be my recommendation you should resign.”
Publicly: Defends Trump’s Choice Not To Act On January 6, Visits Trump In Florida. McCarthy’s anger was not enough to overcome the fear of retribution from Trump. Even today, when asked about the conversations he had with Trump and fellow Republicans on and after January 6, McCarthy refuses to speak the truth. When the conversations between Republicans became public, McCarthy vehemently denied they took place. He was quickly rebuked when the New York Times published auto recordings of the conversations. On January 28, mere weeks after the insurrection, McCarthy had fully capitulated to the former president, traveling to Florida for a meeting at Mar-a-Lago. When asked what could possibly have provoked such a stunning shift, McCarthy shamelessly referenced Trump’s commitment to “helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022.”
Fleeting Commitment To Justice And The Rule Of Law
January 2021: McCarthy Demands Accountability Through Hearings & Investigations. In a floor speech the week following the January 6 insurrection, McCarthy repeatedly stressed all responsible for the attack needed to be held responsible, stating, “Conservatives also know that the only thing that stops mob violence is to meet it with ‘force, rooted in justice and backed by moral courage’…And make no mistake: those who are responsible for Wednesday’s chaos will be brought to justice…I believe impeaching the President in such a short timeframe would be a mistake [because] No investigations have been completed. No hearings have been held.”
2022: McCarthy Refuses To Participate In Bi-Partisan January 6 Committee & Hearings. Despite the minority leader’s earlier statement about the importance of a January 6 investigation, McCarthy took every opportunity to undermine the Select Committee, calling its formation, “an egregious abuse of power” and referring to it as, “the most political and least legitimate committee in American history” after a June hearing. McCarthy even went so far as to ignore a subpoena issued by the Select Committee in an attempt to hide “behind debunked arguments and baseless requests for special treatment.”
August 2022: McCarthy Threatens FBI & DOJ For Investigating The Former President. Despite previous comments about respect for the rule of law and the justice system, after the FBI executed a DOJ search warrant at the former president’s home in regards to Trump’s mishandling of highly classified documents, McCarthy immediately began issuing threats against the Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland. It should be noted that the FBI’s search was perfectly lawful and signed off on by a federal judge.
